


how long can we lie to each other

by FeatheryMinx



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Rigel Black Series - murkybluematter, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, False Identity, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Female Harry Potter, Gen, Good Severus Snape, Identity Reveal, Mentor Severus Snape, Triwizard Tournament, egregious overuse of m-dashes and commas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24105118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeatheryMinx/pseuds/FeatheryMinx
Summary: the request (see relationship tags!) is mostly in the next chapter:) hope you like it
Relationships: Harry Potter & Severus Snape, Severus Snape & Harriet Potter | Rigel Black
Comments: 22
Kudos: 177
Collections: Rigel Black Chronicles Appreciation, Rigel Black Exchange Round 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bagheera95](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bagheera95/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Rigel Black Chronicles](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/618412) by murkybluematter. 



Severus watched as Rigel rose up on the platform to the obstacle course. He had faith in his student, and there was no doubt in his mind that Rigel’s performance would far outstrip the mediocre ones given by the other competitors. Still, as Rigel nearly slipped off the tile he had just stepped onto, Severus mused that he would have much preferred observing this tournament had his student not been forced to participate. He looked down at the sheet of parchment laying on his lap, at the circular runes inscribed on it, and sighed. He truly did not want any part in the tournament, not even one as small and simple as this, but the organizers had given him this _honor_ as repayment for the potions he had brewed for use in the course. 

“BLACK SHAKES OFF THE SLEEP SPORES! CAN NOTHING STOP THIS CHAMPION?” The deafening roar accompanying Bagman’s announcement tore Severus’ attention away from the parchment and back towards the task. Rigel was nearly halfway through, and making good time. He had chosen the rightmost path, which Severus was thankful for, as it meant the only obstacles he would face were ones he was well equipped for. 

Severus watched with keen eyes as Rigel froze on the white tile, which released his own altered Monistra’s Malediction. When he had been approached by the tournament organizers to provide an obstacle for the course, he had immediately thought of Monistra’s Malediction. It had been a challenge to brew it in a fashion so that it was more effective (and therefore more dangerous) than the original formula, and it had taken him nearly a month to complete his alteration. Still, the potion had the unpleasant side effect of leaving the user somewhat disoriented if not countered properly, but Severus knew his student had Sycamore tree sap with him. 

After a motionless minute, Rigel started rummaging through his potions kit. He lifted two vials to his nose, drank the contents of one, and stowed the other back into the kit. THe crowd roared yet again as Rigel began to move forward. An ember of pride sparked in Severus’ chest. No other champion had been able to painlessly surpass this many obstacles, and especially not his. Of course, he hadn’t been worried about Rigel. The boy’s grasp of potions nearly rivaled his own at that age. He would have no trouble counteracting the effects of Monistra’s Malediction, even if it was an altered—

Had the boy just stumbled? No. He was likely just overwhelmed from suddenly regaining his senses. The crowd was deafeningly loud, even to Severus’ senses, so he could hardly imagine—

There it was again. 

Severus watched in disbelief as Rigel fumbled his way through the rest of the path. What could have possessed the boy, for him to have blundered so badly as to have not drunk the Sycamore sap? He knew Rigel had it; Severus had packed it in his replacement potions kit himself. Still, he had an advantage over the other competitors, being able to see and hear as he made his way forward. 

After a few harrowing minutes, Rigel reached the last task on his path. As he examined the white basin, Severus turned his attention to the parchment linked to it, sitting innocuously in his lap. Severus kept one eye on the boy, for he was liable to do something completely unexpected and likely idiotic ~~for example, consuming an incorrect counteragent when the correct one is right there.~~ But this was a straightforward obstacle. There should be no issues. Indeed, after completing his examination of the runes, Rigel drew his knife from his boot and pricked his left wrist. He carefully shook the blood into the basin, and a name appeared on Severus’ parchment. 

_Arcturus Rigel Black_ . Satisfied that the boy had interpreted the runes correctly, Severus activated the runes to bring down the barrier to the final platform. He turned his head back up to watch Rigel’s final steps. As the boy drew his knife away from the basin and wrapped his wrist in a white bandage, movement near the bottom of Severus’ vision distracted him. He looked down to find the source of said movement, and found a name scrawling itself across the parchment. _Harriet Potter_.

His eyes snapped up, and he watched his student step onto the final platform and descend gracefully to the ground, a successful contestant. 

Mind racing, Severus quickly folded the parchment in his hand. He would figure out what was going on when he could, but it wouldn't do for him to lose control before then. He took a deep breath and mentally strengthened his shields, locking away the panic rising within him. He turned to the woman sitting next to him. 

“Minerva, if you wouldn’t mind escorting our contestant to where the remaining champions are waiting?”

“I thought you planned to accompany Mister. Black at the conclusion of this task?” 

“Well,” Severus scowled, “plans change.” He tapped the folded piece of parchment. “I have to see to the dismantling and disposal of my part of the task.”

Minerva looked at him with a puzzled frown. “Severus, shouldn’t you have known about this responsibility _prior_ to this?”

“With how the rest of them fared, I didn’t think it would be necessary. No one made it that far.”

“And of course, it is Mister Black who defies your expectations,” Minerva snorted. “That, at least, we can expect from him.” At that, Severus occluded harder, but couldn’t stop a slight grimace from slipping through his shields. Seeing the look on his face, Minerva laughed, then got up to meet Rigel.

Severus rose as well and rushed to the golden viewing box where the tournament organizers and judges sat. He approached the circle where Riddle sat listening to the discussion amongst the other judges. “Lord Riddle? May I speak with you for a moment?” Riddle got up to follow him towards the edge of the box. 

“I have something to… request… of you, my lord.” At the slight nod Riddle gave him, he continued, “Would it be possible for me to dismantle my parts of the obstacle course now?”

“Now, Severus, why would you want to do that? You’d miss seeing your delightful protege receive his scores.”

“You and I both know that was the best performance given tonight. I don’t need to see his scores to know what they’ll be like. I do, however, need to dispose of the blood spilt in that final obstacle. You know how the child gets about spilt blood.” Riddle’s face didn’t change, and Severus quickly added, “Besides, timely removal and destruction of it would ingratiate Rigel to you, seeing as you had to think of it and allow it to happen.”

“Hmm. While that makes quite a bit of sense, it’s not truly the reason you’re so eager to get out of here so fast, is it?” Severus forced his face to go blank. How did he know? What could he say now? Before he could do anything more, Riddle smirked. “So quiet, Severus. Is your inability to stand the general public really so great as to prevent you from congratulating Rigel?”

“I will see Rigel after the task.” Severus frowned, “I would rather stay as far as possible from his mutt of a father.”

Riddle chuckled. “Perhaps that’s for the best. We wouldn’t want to do anything to endanger the good will Black’s son has brought us.” They walked back to where the judges were deliberating. Riddle smiled upon hearing their conversation, but he chose not to speak. Instead, he drew a scroll from behind his seat and started looking through it, occasionally muttering a word or two. He drew his wand, tapped the parchment with it, then made a complicated movement, incanting as he did so. 

“I disabled the obstacles and brought the course down onto the pitch. It is disillusioned, so take care not to be seen.” Riddle handed Severus a thin bracelet with runes on it. “This should let you see the course once you get down there.”

"Ingenious, tying perception to a physical key. Your work, Lord Riddle?"

"No, not mine. After that mishap at the World Cup, Master Black was more than willing to provide us this service.”

Severus hummed in appreciation and slipped the bracelet on. He began to make his way down to the Quidditch Pitch, stopping only to disillusion himself and to strengthen his shields once more. Though he wanted nothing more than to grab the stone basin and rush back to his office, he knew it would seem suspicious to leave without completing both of his duties. Sighing, he went to dismantle the trap tile that contained his brew of Monistra’s Malediction.

Once that was dealt with, he walked over to the basin. For a second, he considered physically carting it back to his office, but that was a ridiculous thought. Instead, he began examining the runes carved around the edge. He knew there were protections on it to prevent magical forces from moving it, and he would have to nullify those before he could levitate the basin anywhere. As he peered over the lip of the basin, Severus noticed two distinct tracks of dried blood on the inner surface. He occluded harder. 

After a few minutes working with the basin, Severus stepped back with a satisfied smirk and levitated it with a flick of his wand. He recast the Disillusionment Charm to cover the basin as well, then walked towards the castle. Behind him, he could hear the judges beginning to announce the results of the task, but he couldn’t stop and listen. He had to keep walking, needed to get the hell away from here and organize his thoughts with no one the wiser.

* * *

“Fuck.” Severus dropped the basin in the corner behind his desk and stormed over to his cabinet for a headache relieving potion. Holding up such rigorous mental shields for that long was physically giving him a migraine. Or maybe that was the impact of all the contradictory information ricocheting around his brain. What. The. Fuck.

No. That wasn’t true. Severus reached into his robes and withdrew the parchment linked to the basin. Two drops of blood. He unfolded the parchment. Two names. 

The first drop. _Arcturus Rigel Black._ Rigel. He drew his knife from his boot and pricked his wrist. He shook a drop of blood into the basin, and a name appeared on the parchment. The first name. _Arcturus Rigel Black._ There. It should have ended there.

Then the second drop. _Harriet Potter_. How had Rigel's cousin's blood made its way into the basin? Had the fool child somehow dropped some of his cousin’s blood into the basin? How did he even have it? Perhaps his passive metamorphmagy—. But that was impossible. Truly impossible. No matter how often Rigel defied expectations, he couldn’t do that. And certainly not passively. 

But if not that, then how? Severus drew his wand. “Muffliato!” He had barely finished casting the silencing spell before a strangled scream sounded in the room. Who had — oh. That was him. 

Severus sank into his chair, suddenly very, very tired, and to his mind came memories, snippets of conversations where something just hadn't felt quite right . 

Last week, at breakfast. Rigel admonished Pucey, in front of everyone in the Great Hall. Over blood purity, over halfbloods not being equal to purebloods and the inanity of it all. The stunning loss of temper at the beginning of the year, when the Greengrass girl’s heritage was outed. He had let his true loyalty show then. _“The rules are clear. But they’re also wrong..”_

It could mean nothing. It could simply be that Arcturus Rigel Black, on account of growing up with the Potters, on account of being _betrothed_ to Miss Potter, was an overwhelming brand of overprotective. And yet. 

In his head, Severus heard the sharp words that had made him flinch then, and made him flinch yet again now. _“Tell everyone you know that Harriet Potter is a no-talent slut. I'm still not going to be your show pony.”_ Rigel’s confidence in his cousin and her wishes had been unprecedented. It was outrageous, presumptuous, absolutely fucking ridiculous. And yet.

Potter studied healing. Rigel studied healing. Rigel studied potions. Potter studied potions. They were both prodigies, the likes of which only came around once in a generation. Their wit, their composure, their eccentric thoughts and actions. They even looked the same, for Merlin’s sake. But they grew up together, learned together, were freakishly dependent on each other. Their odd similarities made sense. And yet. 

Severus considered the tilt to Rigel’s head, the one he saw perfectly imitated in Potter’s. The way they held their stirring rods, the way they sliced their roots to the ends, everything, down to the way they treated him: respect and admiration coupled with that unshakeable confidence in his skill. And of course, and perhaps most damningly, their goddamn magic. 

When Severus Snape learned that Lily Evans Potter used a suppressor on her magic, he could hardly forget it. And when his student came into his office with a ridiculous amount of magic, so much that he shouldn’t have it, he could hardly forget that either. Neither of his parents could have given it to him, but Severus hadn't thought about it. After all, when had Rigel not been the exception to the rule? Only, the level of control he exhibited over his magic hadn't come from nowhere. And a teenage girl wouldn’t choose to learn how to manipulate her aura for the fun of it. That would take more control than a fourteen year old should reasonably have. Unless she had started from a place of control. Unless she had taken her mother’s outrageous gift of magic and locked it away, _then_ learned to control it until she could only let a little of it loose. Or, if she preferred, none at all... 

Severus looked again at the piece of parchment gripped in his hands. It was crumpled at the edges, where the force with which he held it had deformed it. Abruptly, he dropped it onto his desk. He wished he had never seen the second name appear. In hindsight, that had been the moment that changed everything. Perhaps if he had ignored it, drawn it up to a minor mistake in the runes, or a malfunctioning spell... But no. There, in front of him, was undeniably Harriet Potter: a halfblood, a girl, and most damningly, Rigel's cousin.

His student was not Arcturus Rigel Black, pureblood son of two great pureblood lines. His student had never been Arcturus Rigel Black. His student was and always had been Harriet Potter, halfblood daughter of the _one_ person he had cared about in his youth. And then Severus started laughing. The very first week of her schooling, he could have found her out. That time when he inadvertently stepped into her mind, and she into his. The girl had nearly passed out in her panic, and now he understood why. Had that experience been any less disorienting, he would have realized from her memories just who she really was. But he didn’t, and she hadn’t been found out, and now she’d gotten this far.

Dear fucking God. What had she done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the request (see relationship tags!) is mostly in the next chapter:) hope you like it


	2. Chapter 2

After spending some time thinking about all that he had just learned, Severus rose from his desk and walked back over to his cabinets. He looked at the vials of Calming Draught stored there and considered taking one, but decided in the end that it would be better to have an unaffected mind. Occluding again, Severus stepped outside. He had hoped to find his student, but he knew that was unlikely. From what he could see, most of the students had already gone back to their rooms and only a few stragglers remained. Severus scanned the remaining students for any of his Slytherins. He spotted Aldon Rosier walking back alone, which was curious, but for the moment he couldn’t think about that. 

Once Rosier had walked closer to his office, Severus spoke. “Mister Rosier. You are currently headed back to the common room, yes?” 

“Yes, Professor Snape.”

Before the boy could elaborate, Severus cut in, “Good. Inform…” And then he trailed off, for he couldn’t exactly say “Mister Black” anymore, no more than he could reveal what he had learned to Rosier. A little startled, Severus continued, “Inform Rigel to come to my office immediately.” Rosier simply stared at Severus, eyebrows scrunched in what appeared to be confusion. 

“Sir?”

“Mister Rosier, have the events of the past hour somehow escaped your mind? Have you forgotten the Slytherin who is representing Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament, the child who accompanies Miss Parkinson and Mister Malfoy, the same fourth year whom you needle constantly? Rigel’s presence is required in my office. Immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” Rosier moved quickly upon hearing the acerbic tone with which Severus berated him. It truly wasn’t that difficult of a request, he had no idea why Rosier had been confused. 

Severus stepped back into his office. He intended to go back to his desk and do something productive while he waited, to try and calm himself down, but his feet took him back to the cabinet which contained all of his brewed potions. He looked at the vials of Calming Draught. With great, great difficulty, he managed to walk away from his cabinets. However, instead of sitting at his desk, he chose to pace by the door — both to greet Potter quickly, and to prevent himself from imbibing something he likely shouldn’t.

After what felt like an eternity, a knock sounded on his door. Severus moved to physically open the door himself, but decided against it. He walked swiftly back to his desk, sat down, and took a deep breath. He waved his wand and heard a click, then the creak of the heavy wood opening. In walked Potter, looking no worse than she had at the beginning of the day bar the way her eyes were slightly unfocused and her steps slightly out of place. 

“You asked to see me, Professor Snape?”

“Shut the door behind you.” Rigel did so, and Severus activated his silencing wards. “I wanted to discuss the events of the second task with you. In particular, where exactly it went wrong.”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Professor? The task went about as well as it could have. Unless you mean to say I chose the wrong path, but there was no way for me to know what obstacles each path carried…”

“No, foolish child, that is not what I mean.” The girl looked taken aback. Severus was aware that his voice was colder than it had ever been with her before, but he didn’t pause to bring his tone back to normal. “When, in the path that you took, did you stumble? Where did you go wrong?”

“I…” Potter faltered. “I suppose when I encountered Monistra’s Malediction? I drank tree sap to counter it, but I did feel that the course was a little harder to navigate after it? I’m not sure if that’s what you’re looking for though. It’s all I can think of, but that didn’t _go wrong_?” 

Severus went over to his cabinets and grabbed a dark vial, surreptitiously peeling its label off. Giving it to her, he asked, “Can you tell me what this is?”

Potter examined the vial thoroughly, holding it up to the light to try and see it better. The vial, of course, was too dark for her to glean any information from. Brows furrowed, she carefully uncorked it and wafted the scent up to her nose. Her confusion cleared. “Oh!” she exclaimed, “It’s Sycamore sap.”

“Well done.” said Severus sardonically. “Now drink it.”

“The whole vial?”

“A sip will do.”

Severus watched the girl drink the sap, and he could see the moment it counteracted what little of his altered brew was left in her system. Her eyes refocused, and she stood stiller, free of the unconscious swaying that had been plaguing her since the task. 

“So. You don’t know where you went wrong? This is it. Why, idiot, did you not drink the Sycamore sap during the task itself?”

“I drank my vial of Black Walnut sap instead.”

"I didn't ask what you did," he snapped before he could stop himself. "I asked why you would do such an imbecilic thing."

“I knew it was Monistra’s Malediction, because it had to be either that or Prisoner’s Poison, and I could still cast magic. The counter for Monistra’s Malediction is sap from a grove of wand wood trees, of which I had Sycamore and Black Walnut. I chose Black Walnut because it would work, and because it’s only seven Knuts an ounce, compared to 13 for Sycamore.”

Severus stared incredulously at her. “The _cost_ ? That’s how you made your decision? I know for a fact your parents are rich enough to, and they do, buy you all the potions supplies you desire. Are you really going to throw it all away over a few _Knuts_? is your life worth that little to you?”

The girl showed no recognition or panic at his words, just stubborn confusion. “But nothing happened, sir. The Vow didn’t come close to triggering when I used the Black Walnut sap., and I got through the rest of the task just fine. I really don’t think—”

“That’s right, you didn’t fucking _think_!” he roared, and his magic roared along with him. Severus just had just enough control to point his wand away from Potter. A powerful bolt of magic shot out from his wand and blasted one of his student chairs to pieces. Silently, he cast a quick Reparo, then looked at Potter. The girl still didn’t get it. And why would she, when he’d been skirting around discussing the real issue? 

Sighing, Severus summoned his chair from behind his desk. He slumped down into it, then summoned another one for the girl. He waved a hand in her direction. “Sit down.”

Potter ~~irritating brat that she was~~ stayed standing, looking at him with an expression of concern. “Professor—”

“I said _sit down_ , Miss Potter.”

The color drained from her face, leaving her paler than he had seen her before. She stumbled, this time of shock rather than of mind altering influences, and fell back into the chair he had summoned earlier. Quietly, so quietly that Severus almost didn’t hear her, she murmured, “Oh. Oh, he said ‘ _parents’_.”

Severus watched the girl panic for a few minutes. He was struck again by just how _young_ his student was, a fact that was easy to forget in the face of her maturity and control. It was much harder to forget when confronted directly with a panic-stricken fourteen year old. “Miss Potter.” She continued muttering under her breath. “Potter!” She didn’t respond. “Harriet!”

Her head snapped up. “How did you find out?” Severus summoned the parchment from his desk into her hands. She stared at it distraught, one thumb rubbing the wrist she had drawn blood from earlier. 

Hesitantly, Severus offered, “The blood you spilt is in the basin, over there.”

Potter looked at it, but continued to stay silent. Her eyes were wet. She got up and walked behind her chair for a moment, her back facing him. She pinched her nose with her fingers and tilted her head back for a few moments. Then, she walked back around and sat down again. Taking a breath, she asked, “What do you want?”

“I don’t catch your meaning.”

“What do you want? You haven’t gone to Dumbledore yet, or to Riddle, which means you have something to gain from not telling them. But you did tell me. So, what do you want from me?”

Exasperated, Severus asked, “What, child, would I have to do for you to finally believe that I am on your side?”

“With all due respect Professor, I don’t actually know that you’re on my side. You were always on Rigel Black’s side. I have not one clue as to what you think of Harriet Potter.”

“And that I haven’t told anyone what I’ve learned isn’t proof enough of my intentions?”

“You haven’t told anyone, yet. You still could.”

“Miss Potter,” he began, but then he saw the mulish look on the girl’s face. Sensing that she wouldn’t give up her suspicions no matter what he said, Severus relented and asked, “Say I were to ask for something. What would you expect from me?” Potter looked startled, and Severus smirked a little. “This is, after all, meant to be a trade. I ask you for something. What are you asking of me in return?”

“Your silence.” came the immediate response. Though he was tempted to prompt her for more, Severus decided instead to keep quiet and have the silence prompt her instead. When no response came, the girl warily continued, “A Sealing Curse.” Severus cocked his head, and she explained, “It’s better than an Unbreakable Vow. You could break an Unbreakable Vow if you wanted to. If I seal the knowledge away, you _can’t_ tell anyone.”

“Do you even know how to perform a Sealing Curse?” She glared at him. “Very well then. My price, Miss Potter, is the truth.”

“It’s better if you don’t know any more than you already—” At the look he gave her, she abruptly ended her sentence. 

“You asked me for a price, nearly demanded that I give you one. Now you have it.”

Potter stayed silent, but Severus could see the tension in her body, in the way she was forcing herself to hold still. “Miss Potter.” Severus reconsidered. He moved closer to her. “Harriet. Nothing bad will come of you answering my questions.” When she didn’t seem reassured, he sighed. “A show of faith, perhaps? I’ll let you seal away the knowledge I already have right now. Then once I’ve asked my questions, I’ll let you seal that knowledge as well.” Slowly, the girl nodded.

Potter performed the ritual and Severus moved back into the seat across from her. After a moment of thought, he summoned a house elf and had it bring them a pot of tea. Once they each had a mug, he said, “Start from the beginning, Miss Potter.” 

The girl went still. She didn’t speak for a few minutes, choosing instead to sip at her tea. Just as Severus was about to ask her again, she began her story. “It started, I guess, with Aunt Diana. When she died, Archie—” She shook her head. “No. That’s not really true,” she muttered, as though she were speaking to herself. “It was my idea. So. I guess it started with you.” Severus whipped his head up to look at her, but she continued speaking, not noticing the shocked expression on his face. 

Though she spoke haltingly at first, as if struggling to find the words — or, perhaps, struggling to let herself speak those words aloud — the girl slowly grew more comfortable with her explanations, though the tight grip she had on her mug didn’t loosen. So when she trailed off in the middle of a sentence, Severus took notice. Potter looked pensive, then she started her tale again, though she spoke slightly faster than she had been before. 

Severus cut her off. “Miss Potter, what are you leaving out?”

“If you're keeping the ruse secret, you should continue to call me Rigel. When I’m being Rigel, anyways.”

“Very well, Mister Black. What are you still hiding?” When she looked disappointed that her weak ploy at distracting him had failed, he continued, “You did promise me the truth.”

Petulantly, she said, “I haven’t lied.” At the glare he gave her, she sighed. “Flint found out. He knew Archie from when they were younger, and he forgot to tell me that.” 

“And he kept quiet?” 

“For a price.” A suspicion formed, and Severus frowned. She sighed again. “He had me do his assignments.”

Severus took a deep breath, raising one hand to massage his temples. The staff had thought the student doing Flint’s work couldn’t be more than 2 years below him, so of course the culprit was just that. As Minerva had said, Rigel Black existed just to defy all of his expectations. After a moment, he said, “Detention. Until the end of term, for disrespecting the authority of Hogwarts professors.” He considered the punishment, then added, “With Professor McGonagall.” If he had taken on the girl’s detentions, it wouldn’t feel like much of a punishment at all. Once she acknowledged the detentions he just assigned, he said, “Continue, Mister Black.”

When she told him about the blended Polyjuice, Severus interjected suspiciously. “Polyjuice? You can’t be drinking every hour, I checked.” 

Potter smiled. “Professor, you didn’t let me finish. I added a little amber while I brewed the Polyjuice, and it lasts a year.” 

He nodded appreciatively. “Well done, Mister Black.” Then, a realization struck him. “So last year, when you ‘got sick’ during a Quidditch game. That _was_ your Polyjuice wearing off.” The girl nodded, and he continued, “Quite lucky, then, that you had some on you at the time.”

Potter shook her head. “When I brew Polyjuice with amber, I can’t actually store it for very long. I had to brew it again.”

“The time turner?”

She nodded. “The time turner.”

“It only went back a week though, how did you—”

“I had to repeat the same week four times over. My lab was out of the question, as were any other spaces in Hogwarts, because then I would cross myself. I rented a room at the Leaky Cauldron for a week, an apartment in Craftsman Alley for the next, another week at the Lamia Lodge, and then…” She bit her lip, then said, “I spent the final week at my apartment in the Lower Alleys.” _Where she brews_ , Severus’ mind automatically supplied. Then he registered the rest of the sentence. 

“Your apartment?”

“I got the idea from Flint. He knew about the ruse, but he didn’t know all of it. If anyone else finds out, I can’t be arrested for it. Plausible deniability. Harriet Potter was living in the Alleys, Arcturus Black was in America, and Rigel disappears.”

“Rigel disappears? Everything you’ve done in the past four years, gone, just like that? And your friends...”

Potter bowed her head, and Severus inhaled sharply in understanding. “You don’t get to keep them regardless.”

“What choice do I have?” She looked up at him, and he saw unshed tears in her eyes, tears which were dangerously close to spilling over. “Archie and I, we can’t be each other forever. When I’m myself again, my friends won’t care for me. And if they ever find out… They’ll hate me. You saw how they felt about Greengrass, and she didn’t know. I do.” She sniffled.

Severus didn’t know what to say. Despite his line of work, he was rarely confronted with a teenager who was about to cry. He conjured a handkerchief and handed it to her, mentally preparing himself for her tears. She sniffled again and looked motionlessly at it for a long moment, then dabbed at her eyes.. “Anyway,” she said blandly, putting down the handkerchief, “the Polyjuice was our biggest challenge. There were a few other things, like having to manipulate our auras, or pull off being ourselves successfully at last year’s Gala, but that’s everything.” 

“And the blood?”

She shrugged and looked defeatedly at him. “I have no clue.”

“You don’t know how you got hold of your cousin’s blood?”

“What? No, Archie gave it to me. I don’t know how my blood got into the basin. I used Archie’s blood, so there shouldn’t have been an issue.” There was a tinge of guilt to her voice which Severus ignored. .

“How did you use his blood during the task? I watched you cut at your wrist myself.” The girl carefully pushed back her left sleeve and bared her wrist. Then she drew her knife and lightly prodded at her skin with the tip of her knife. Horrified, Severus watched as some of her skin rose. “Miss Potter!”

“I said call me Rigel, Professor.”

“What are you doing, Black?” Severus placed undue emphasis on the last word, but it didn’t come out as sarcastic as he’d intended. His wand hand twitched as the girl pinched the tiny flap of skin. Slowly, she pulled at it, and the flap grew in size, revealing a thin pouch. “What in Merlin’s name is that?” he exclaimed in shock. His voice grew as he demanded, “What did you do?”

“It’s a skin graft. After what happened with Greengrass, I thought it was best to be safe, in case they decided to…” She trailed off as she removed the pouch to find a small scab. “Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid,” she berated herself. “How did I not notice…”

“Did you not feel your knife breaking the skin?”

“I—” She averted her eyes. “I thought it was phantom pain, because I only applied enough pressure to cut through the graft.”

Severus’ hand moved to his temples again. “That would be the Monistra’s Malediction.” 

“But it only affects one of—. Oh. God, I’m so stupid. Of course an altered brew could have side effects.”

“You see now what I meant by ‘where you went wrong’.” She nodded and they both fell silent. After a few minutes, Severus asked carefully, “Is there anything else you would like to talk about?”

“If you have more questions, I’ll answer them. I have to.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Then no..” She paused.. “Can I use the Sealing Curse now?”

Severus nodded, and Potter once again performed the sealing ritual. She gathered her belongings and made her way to the door. Severus stood and banished the chairs back to where they belonged. At the door, Potter hesitated and turned around. “Actually.” The girl swallowed. “I do have a question.” After confirming that she was, indeed, allowed to ask, she continued, “You said, at the very beginning, that you were still on my side. Why? I broke your trust, I lied and cheated you, everyone. I don’t—” She cut herself off. 

“Mister Black. I am a halfblood myself, and while I am a member of the SOW Party, I am, as you well know, a very reluctant one. I have no reason to betray your endeavor, especially as I myself would likely be implicated, considering your apprenticeship.”

“Of course.” she murmured, and nodded again. “I understand that.”

“However,” he continued in with a more significant tone, “while those reasons are not false, they are not the real reason I kept your secret.” Confusion was written in every muscle of her body, and he sighed. Moving closer, he said, “You, Harriet, are my student. Not just any student, but one I could hardly hope for in my wildest dreams. You’re talented, innovative, you have incredible, and I do mean that in the sense of not being credible, ideas that can and will change the world. You share the passion I had for potions when I was your age. You know, when I taught Rigel Black, I thought I was lucky to find one prodigious student. When I met Harriet Potter, I thought it was almost too good to be true, that there could be two of these ridiculous, talented children, and that both of them would find me. I was right. There weren’t two students. There’s one, and she’s standing in front of me, having done more than I would have thought possible to pursue her passions. I’m on your side, child, because of _you_.” 

She stared at him in shock, eyes wet, but slowly, a wide smile formed. “Thank you, sir.” 

Severus inclined his head. After giving her a moment to compose herself, he reached past her to open his office door. “Back to your dormitory, Mister Black. Don’t forget your detentions with Professor McGonagall.”

“Yes, sir.” She walked out, and the door closed behind her. 

**~~fin~~**

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this @stories! Tried my hand at an identity reveal, though it isn't revealed to everyone
> 
> concrit is appreciated<3


End file.
